Funeral and memorial services are a beautiful way to say our last goodbye to a loved one. Finding the right words and organizing a funeral event can be complicated. However, by following and planning a memorial service checklist, you can have more control over the event and avoid stressing out. Moreover, you can spend more time with those family members or guests more affected by your loved one’s passing.
If you are planning a memorial service checklist, consider the following elements in this list. Make your ceremony calmer and smooth without complications, and say goodbye by making it a beautiful event.
Ask Your Loved Ones About Their Preferences
A memorial service is an intimate event where people gather to remember and celebrate the life of a deceased loved one. What makes the celebration so unique is how each memorial service brings all the elements the deceased loved about life. From hobbies, decoration, and music, you should include everything that person enjoyed while he was still around. Remember that your family and friends can provide tips for planning your funeral in advance. When planning a memorial service checklist, consult other family members and friends about the deceased’s preferences and hobbies. Include those details about the late loved one at the memorial service to make the event more unique and special.
If you have a close relationship with the currently deceased, you can talk with their family about their time in geriatrics and see what they would’ve liked about their memorial service. Most terminally-ill patients enjoy planning their funeral and memorial service. Moreover, they might leave details and a checklist about what to do and what not to do when their time arrives. Planning a memorial service checklist can be complicated if you don’t know the deceased family and have few details about his past life, as you can’t plan an intimate event that leaves a mark on the attendees. Their family can also have suggestions and preferences to add to your checklist, as they might want to give the ceremonial event another angle.
Hire a Planning Service
Planning a memorial service checklist shouldn’t be a job for one person, as you can hire professionals to make the event more meaningful and organized. Whether you want help with the funeral pre planning ceremony or the memorial service, you must find professional funeral planners who understand the importance of quality service. A funeral should be a respectful event where the deceased’s family and close friends come to pay their respects. A well-made event should maintain respect and admiration for the currently departed while comforting the family and those more affected.
Hiring professional help to guide you with your service’s accommodations will improve the event’s quality and make all your guests feel comfortable. You can plan activities, such as seeing old photos and remembering your favorite moments with the deceased, while you enjoy the company of your guests in a lovely ceremony. Planning a memorial service checklist means more than scheduling accommodations. It means hiring professionals to help you build a remarkable event to celebrate the life of a unique person.
Consider Cremation
Cremation is a cost-effective alternative to burial. It’s the best option for those scenarios where the family wants an intimate memorial without dealing with the classic burial scene. When planning a memorial service checklist, you need to consider how to handle the event due to the deceased remains. If the family wants a cremation service instead of a burial ceremony, you should change the memorial service theme according to the family’s request. Moreover, cremation offers simplicity and comfort, as it’s not as dramatic as a burial ceremony. It’s the perfect solution for those who want a simple, touching ceremony without dealing with a cemetery and a burial procedure.
Memorial services revolve around themes of religion and personal beliefs. Cremation doesn’t play with profound concepts of faith, making it the perfect solution for those who want a calmer stance on doctrines and religions. After a cremation, most families use an urn and keep their deceased ashes around their homes, while others have creative ideas regarding the ashes. Going to a natural monument and releasing the ashes is a therapeutic way to say goodbye.
Cremation is an affordable and healthy way to say goodbye. Those who want a calmer memorial service might want to use a cremation service for their loved ones and make the departure process less damaging. Moreover, other families decide to make rearrangements and creative items with the ashes and honor the deceased. Lastly, cremation is one of the most accessible methods for handling remains in harsh conditions, as most cold countries struggle with burial ceremonies as the soil is frozen and unavailable.
Find a Florist
Flower arrangements are the cornerstone of every memorial service, representing the natural elements that compose passing away. If you’re planning a memorial service checklist, add decoration that blends with the event’s tone and concept. Moreover, a memorial service should be a calm, respectable ceremony where people send their regards and good wishes to the deceased’s family. Flowers can express feelings when words can’t. Moreover, using flower arrangements to convey a mood and an atmosphere is a good idea for a funeral. Use sympathy flowers to showcase your respect for the deceased while adding a beautiful atmosphere to the memorial service.
Most memorial services dealt with religious themes and the deceased’s personal beliefs. Using flowers to showcase these themes makes the service more appropriate for the family and guests. Adding crosses and other symbolic elements to the flower arrangements makes the ceremony more intimate and connects better with the guests. Moreover, you can keep the flower arrangement intact without details for a more relaxed ceremony without dealing with religious beliefs.
Adding flowers to a burial service is a long-lasting tradition in most countries and a way to pay respect to the dead. If you are in charge of a memorial service, you need to organize and move the flower arrangement for guests in a strategic position. Moreover, you’ll need space for other elements in your memorial service checklist. Pleasurable decoration that follows the memorial service’s tone makes the service beautiful and remarkable.
Book a Venue
A memorial service can be an intimate celebration of life with only the family and a few of the deceased’s friends. However, booking a venue is mandatory if you expect numerous guests and an extensive family. Making accommodations to make the memorial event impactful and respectful to the family members and the deceased is crucial. Avoid hosting the memorial service in a cluttered space, as it won’t provide the relaxed space most funerals should have. Instead, book a venue with an auditorium, letting the guests take turns and speak about their memories with the deceased.
Finding a venue to host your memorial service can be complicated, as you need to find a place that gives you a respectful and peaceful mood. Start searching for non denominational churches that host memorial services. Moreover, you can find an old property and renovate it to host your funeral and memorial services. Hire stained glass restoration services and add decorative elements to make your event more impactful on the attendees. How you portray your surroundings will impact the memorial service. Find a stylish venue that can host all the guests comfortably and offer space to talk and grieve.
Arrange Transportation
One of the most challenging elements when planning a memorial service checklist is the funeral’s transportation. Although a beautiful venue and decorative elements are crucial for the event, respectfully transporting the casket has more importance. Moving the remains and keeping the family alongside the deceased should be one of your concerns when arranging transportation. Most memorial services display the coffin at all times during the event, letting all the guests take a final look at the deceased. Moreover, a large rear window can help display the coffin while moving it from the memorial service to the burial site.
Keeping the family close and united should be one of your concerns when arranging transportation. Using limousine rental services is a good idea to fit all the family and close friends in one vehicle. Moreover, hiring large cars is recommended for relatives who aren’t around and must make a long trip to pay their last respects. Most limousine rental services cost between $200-400 and are professional accommodations that provide privacy and a comfortable experience. Other alternatives are hiring matching vehicles or a bus to meet all the guests and take them to the memorial service.
Get Legal Counsel
Losing a loved one requires more than a memorial service or accommodation. You need to follow the legal paperwork and start your legal stance about the belongings and other unresolved legal troubles left behind by the deceased. Finding legal counseling and representation during these troubling times can be complicated, as numerous types of lawyers can offer you different services. For instance, a family lawyer can help deal with an unsolved business left behind. On the other hand, an estate planning attorney can help you with the will procedure and other statements made by the deceased before his passing.
An estate attorney can help you with other legal problems, such as taxes and setting up trusts for the assets. This legal representation is efficient when planning a memorial service checklist, as you’ll have critical information on how the deceased would like to organize his memorial service. Follow the indications in the will and pay your respects by adding all the items. Legal representation can also help mediate any family disputes about the assets left behind by the deceased, as you’ll have a will explaining what to do with their properties and belongings. Moreover, an estate attorney can explain any new changes and updates to the deceased’s paperwork and have a plan in case the client doesn’t leave a will before passing.
Make Food Arrangements
Food is mandatory to keep the spirits up and maintain a friendly and relaxed ambiance during a memorial service. It’s hard to picture a funeral or celebration of life event without a catering service that can feed all the guests with delicious dishes. Some catering services have an outstanding plan for a memorial service, and they can offer the deceased’s favorite dish to their guests. Make the service more intimate by sharing the late favorite food and remembering unique moments when everyone shared a meal with the people they missed. Moreover, sharing a meal with everyone at the memorial service is a great way to bond and feel comfort from people that regret the absence of a loved one.
Sharing a meal is also a tradition at some memorial services. According to the deceased beliefs and nationality, sharing a meal at a memorial service is one of the mandatory steps to celebrate the loved one’s life and say the final goodbye. Culture plays a crucial role when deciding which dish goes to a funeral. Find relief in serving food that everyone finds comfort in and reminds them of their home and cultural beliefs. Food offers a much-necessary comfort in times of sorrow and grief. Hiring a catering service that serves the best food will improve everyone’s mood and make the memorial more bearable for the deceased’s family.
Funeral and memorial services are events with countless emotions that deserve time to heal and process. It’s a cathartic moment where people gather to say their last goodbye to someone they love and appreciate. To ease their pain and relieve their sorrows, they must discard their negative feelings in a safe environment filled with sympathetic people. Memorial services are an effective tool to deal with hard-hitting emotions after a loved one passes away, and planning the best memorial service is crucial to guarantee a healthy and safe goodbye. Dealing with the loss one is incredibly difficult, but this isn’t something you have to handle alone. To prepare yourself, follow these tips and reach out to professional services for support. These experts are ready and willing to guide you through this experience.
